Replacing the Past
by DeadPoet0712
Summary: Charlie takes a trip back to Welton to confront his past. While there he builds up a brighter future and deals with memories about Neil. Oneshot. Rated T for mentions of alcohol and mature themes.


Replacing the Past

Oneshot

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Dead Poets Society. If I did, would I be writing this? If you'd like, you can give me Knox for Valentines Day. I wouldn't mind in the least.**

**A/N: I've had this idea for awhile. I've just finally settled down to write about it. This is dedicated to Blackbirdox since she asked for a Charlie oneshot. I hope you enjoy it and it turns out to be everything you wanted! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

It had been years since he had last been here. He had graduated from college with a degree in business and happens to be currently working beside his father at the bank. It is very important for him to be ready since his father is planning on retiring within a year or so. The time was coming soon for him to take over and make the family name rise above the rest. He had to take over the family business and he was more than ready to. He just needed to deal with some ghosts from his past before turning over a new leaf. Even if he was unsure of how well he would be able to do so, Charlie Dalton was ready. He never ran from anything anymore. _Ever_. Today was expected to be no different. He needed to do this for himself. For the sake of his future family.

Charlie was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when he felt the car come to a stop. He had wanted to drive but she had insisted. Before they had left for the four-hour drive he had been informed that it would be good for him to try and relax. He needed to look out the window and take in the scenery. She wanted him to see what had stayed the same and what had changed. Charlie opened the door to his car and stepped out of it. He stretched; and felt his tenseness roll off of his shoulders and bones here and there crack. He felt better now that he was not crammed into a confined space. Fresh air and open spaces made him feel more alive and at home than anything else. Charlie shut the car door; letting the cool metal of the handle brush against his fingertips as he did so. It was now or never. He could not turn back now. Not with her watching.

The driver's side door clicked shut and Charlie turned around to face her. He leaned against the car, resting his arms against the roof so he could observe her. Her back was to him as she took in the front view of the school he had inhabited for so many years of his young life. She slowly turned around to face him and she smiled. The smile caused his own to surface on his lips and he walked around the car to her side. He wrapped an arm around her waist and looked into her blue-green eyes. She knew all about what happened to him here. She was the only other person who knew besides his friends from Welton. No one else was ever going to find out either. He truly loved her. That was why he trusted her enough to take her with him. He would not only need her support but he wanted to show her around. There was something he had to do with her there.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

Mallory nodded and leaned into his side. "Whenever you are, darling," she replied.

Charlie took in a deep breath before walking with her to the front entrance. It was the summer and no boys were anywhere. He had called ahead and had been allowed to spend the day with his girlfriend there. When he had called for his request he had been half-expecting Nolan to answer. When he had been fifteen he had decided with Neil that the man was someone you just could not kill off. He was too stubborn and too bitter to be able to get rid of so easy. He missed those days. Being fifteen had been so much simpler. It had been two years before the event that changed his life forever. Charlie shook his head to get rid of the memory as he pulled open the door and ushered Mallory inside. There would be time for that later. Much, much later.

It was strange to be at Welton when it was completely silent. He had been so used to the constant chatter and joking around from boys of all ages that it caught him off guard. Charlie stood completely still at the front of the dining hall with Mallory and let his eyes roam over the sea of empty tables before them. As usual the hall was spotless and disinfected. The faculty's chairs were all pushed in and lined up in a perfect row on every side. The fact that it was so perfect caused his stomach to turn. It was so picturesque that it would be easy to forget that real life happens behind the closed doors and tragedies ran rampant down the halls. Charlie licked his dry lips before he sighed. He looked down at Mal and managed a small smile.

"Nothing exciting ever happened in here, really. We ate our meals of what was supposed to be food and had hushed conversations over topics that could get us in trouble," he informed her.

Mallory nodded and glanced over the hall again. "Was that your table?" she questioned as she pointed her manicured finger to the one at the back and in the corner.

Charlie followed her gaze and laughed slightly when his eyes landed on the table. "It was. We always thought it would be easier not to get in trouble if we sat there. Although, it never really worked since we still did. I think our teachers knew us too well." He shook his head at the memories. Mallory ended up laughing which caused Charlie to grin. He led her out of the hall and towards the dormitories.

The couple walked up the winding staircase as they headed for the dorm Charlie wanted to see first. It had been the dorm where he met Neil for the very first time. Two staircases later, a right turn and seven doors down found the two of them in front of the correct room. With a shaky hand he reached over and pushed the door open. Charlie stepped inside and was immediately greeted with the memory of a thirteen year old Neil and himself.

_It had started off as any other year. The boring welcoming ceremony, his parents leaving early for an appointment that did not truly exist and the room assignments. After receiving the information of where he would be staying Charlie collected his things and traveled the route to where he was going to be staying for two entire semesters. Before walking inside he checked the name of the boy he would be staying with. Neil Perry. He had never met the boy before but he figured he could not be all that bad. Hell, anyone and anything would be better than spending another school year with that pathetic excuse of a guy named Richard Cameron. If he got stuck with him one more time he was going to have a major problem._

_Charlie pushed open the door and walked in. He set his books down on the desk and looked at the bed in the right corner of the room. His roommate had already claimed it and had his things unpacked already. Charlie dropped his luggage and crossed his arms over his chest. The boy who he expected to be Neil heard the thump of plastic hitting wood and turned around with a grin on his face. _

"_Hi!" he greeted. "I'm Neil. Neil Perry. You must be Charlie."_

_Charlie huffed and narrowed his eyes at him. "I am. Charlie. Charlie Dalton." He stared at him for a moment. "Who said you could have that side of the room?"_

_Neil frowned. "No one."_

"_Exactly! What if I wanted it? I always like the right side of the room," Charlie snapped._

_The taller boy stared at him for a moment before flopping down on his bed and crossing his arms over his chest as well. "Well too bad. I happen to like the right side of the room also, Dalton. Deal with it."_

_Charlie clenched his jaw and observed him for a few moments. He slowly uncrossed his arms over his chest and grinned. "You're alright. I like you." _

_Neil laughed. "You're not so bad yourself. Anyone is better than Richard Cameron."_

_His eyes widened. "You've been stuck with him too?" Charlie asked in horror._

_Neil groaned in response, which caused the two to laugh and exchange stories of their time spent with the redhead. Their friendship had started just as easily as breathing. _

Charlie was suddenly pulled from the memory when he felt Mallory place a hand on his back. He blinked a few times before looking down at her. He could tell she was worried. He must have been silent longer than he had originally thought. He managed another small smile before leading her out of the room. They had a lot more to see before he took her to their last destination. Charlie showed her the library (where he admitted he spent barely any time), his other dorm rooms, the classrooms in which he actually went to class and the courtyard. He sat down on one of the benches with her and wrapped his arm around her. Mallory settled into his chest to give him comfort as he sorted through his feelings. Charlie glanced over the familiar setting before him and was thrown into another memory.

_Charlie had been certain he had been in love with her. If he hadn't been in love he had at least been infatuated and strongly. He was only fifteen years old and he believed his heart had been crushed beyond repair. It was getting extremely late but he did not want to go back inside. His roommate would be asleep like everyone else since it was nearing two in the morning yet he still did not care. He wanted to be alone to try and sort out how he was feeling. Charlie sat down on the bench and sighed. The night had been extremely disappointing. When the sudden sound of footsteps fell behind him he tensed. He did not want another week's worth of detention for being out past curfew again. However, when his best friend was sitting at his side instead he visibly relaxed in relief._

_It was silent between them for awhile before Neil broke the quiet of the night. "I've been waiting up for you," he said simply. When all he received was a shrug he continued. "When it got to be this late I decided I needed to find you." He had been feeling that something was wrong and apparently he had been right. He had known where to go right away. Neil could always find Charlie out there when he needed to think. For some reason the enclosed yet open space seemed to comfort him. He could understand that._

_Charlie debated about what to say as he stared up at the stars peaking through some of the clouds above them. "It's over, Neil." His voice had sounded pathetic._

_Neil sighed. It was obvious his best friend was hurting. "I…I kind of figured that. I'm sorry."_

_He shifted in his seat before settling his gaze on him. Charlie ground his teeth as he got himself ready to tell him what happened. "I went to the party like she asked me to. Apparently my girlfriend didn't have the heart to tell me it was over with words. Kissing some ass on the football team at her school had been a more appealing idea to her."_

_Cringing, Neil awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Ouch."_

_Charlie nodded. "Yeah. Ouch sums that up pretty well." He ran a hand through his hair before tiredly rubbing his eyes. He could feel Neil looking at him and he felt self-conscious. He knew Neil could see the tears glistening in his eyes from the moonlight._

_Instead of pointing anything out and making it awkward, Neil wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder in friendship. "I never liked her to begin with. You'll get someone better, I'm sure." _

_Charlie shrugged. "I sure hope so."_

_Neil's grip on him tightened slightly. "I know so." He paused. "At least you got something good out of this."_

"_Oh? What's that?" Charlie raised an eyebrow._

"_You got to see her naked." Neil grinned._

_He ended up laughing. "That's true."_

_Neil nodded. "See? It wasn't such a waste after all."_

"_I guess not." Charlie paused. "Especially since I got to see her naked twice."_

_Neil's eyebrows rose in surprise before his laughter echoed around the courtyard. "Twice? Even better! I bet the next girl you get will be three times." He stood up from the bench and Charlie followed his lead._

"_I think it'll be more than three times, Neil." Charlie smirked._

_Neil scoffed. "You think so?"_

"_I know so."_

"_We'll see about that." _

_With that the two best friends hurried up to their dorms, joking and making bets along the way. Neil had been there for his first broken heart and had managed to heal it within an instant._

After the past had subsided again for the moment Charlie led Mal back to the dining hall for the lunch that had been prepared for them. He shared the two memories he had already encountered and grinned when Mal giggled over them. It was a good feeling to know that Neil could still get laughs from his antics. Charlie raised his water glass to his lips but froze at Mal's question.

"What was that, sweetheart?" he asked.

Mal smirked. "You heard me, Charlie Dalton. How many girls have you seen naked before me?"

Charlie took a few sips of water to buy himself some time. "That depends. Do girls in Playboy count?" he asked with a smirk.

She gasped and smacked him with her napkin but the lunch went smoothly. The two had their fill and wandered around the grounds of the school. He took her out into the forest and soon enough he had found the old Indian Cave. Charlie took her hand and led her inside.

"_Charlie? What's the big deal? Why did we have to come all the way out here for this? This…thing?" Neil asked with a whine. _

_The two seventeen year-olds stumbled their way into the cave. It was a foggy Saturday afternoon and Neil had no idea why they were out there alone together. Neil shivered and buttoned up his black coat. He took his usual spot and sat down as Charlie took a seat across from him._

"_We had to come out here for this," Charlie said as he pulled out a large glass bottle of whiskey. _

_Neil's eyes widened as he took in the sight of the alcohol before him. "Where'd you get that?"_

"_I know some people who know some people."_

_Neil rolled his eyes. "Snuck into Nolan's office again, didn't you?"_

_Charlie pulled out the cork with his teeth. "They can't prove anything."_

The actor laughed and shook his head. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"

_Charlie smirked. "So I've been told." He took a swig of the drink before passing it to Neil._

_Neil hesitated as he eyed the clear liquid in the bottle. "Charlie, I've never even had beer before."_

_He shrugged. "It's strong and it burns a little. You'll be fine!" Charlie assured him._

_Fifteen minutes later, Charlie realized just how wrong he had been._

_Apparently Neil was a lightweight. If he had anymore Charlie was positive he would have to carry him back to the school. He was definitely not going to do that. He took the bottle, had one more drink from it and put the cork back in. The pout he received for his actions caused him to laugh. "It isn't the end of the world, Neil. There will be other drinks, I'm sure."_

_Neil scoffed. "How do you know that? I know I don't know that! So there's no way you could know that!"_

_Charlie leaned back quickly when Neil almost smacked him in the face with his wild hand gestures. "I just know. Nuwanda knows all."_

_Even in his drunken state Neil could not believe Charlie had named himself Nuwanda. He immediately busted into giggles and rolled around on the cave floor. _

_Charlie frowned. "What's so funny?"_

_Neil stared up at him as the giggles continued. "Where did you ever get the name Nuwanda from?"_

"_What's wrong with my name?"_

"_Well, the 'Wanda' part is stupid. That's a girl's name."_

_Charlie glared at him. "Are you calling me a girl?"_

"_So what if I am?"_

"_I'm not a girl!"_

"_Keep telling yourself that." Neil paused. "Nuwanda!" The giggles turned hysterical and Charlie groaned. He was never letting him get drunk again._

Two hours later Charlie found that they were at his last stop. The last destination on his list of places to see had been the theater. It had been the last place he had ever wanted to visit again but there he was. Alive and taking in the view on the actual stage where Neil stood. His bottom lip trembled for a moment before he managed to pull himself together. Mallory was sitting in the front row where he had asked her to sit. He wanted to do this here. He wanted to replace the horrible memory of seeing Neil for the last time with something better. Neil would be proud of him for doing so on a stage. Not just any stage, really. The place where he accomplished the performance of his life. Charlie cleared his throat and got ready for his own monologue. His gazed landed on Mal as he moved around a bit on stage.

"Mallory, babe, I want to thank you first of all for coming with me today. I know it wasn't exactly something you wanted to do. You probably would've had more fun with your friends and shopping but I really truly appreciate it. I'm starting to feel more at ease now. At peace. Like the fact that he's still here but just out of reach." Charlie was beginning to be okay with coming on this trip. "I took you to all the places where I have the fondest memories of my best friend. This one, you know this is the one I want to replace. I want to replace the past with a better one." Charlie ran a hand through his hair and took a few more steps towards her. He was getting nervous.

"I love you, Mallory. I love you with all my heart and more. You mean the world to me and I never want to give you up." He walked down the stage steps. "Please don't make me." Charlie pulled out a small velvet box from his pocket and kneeled down on one knee in front of her. "Will you marry me?" he asked breathlessly.

Mallory's reaction was almost immediate. She flung herself from the auditorium chair and on to him in a tight hug. "Yes! Of course! Yes!" she babbled excitedly.

Charlie laughed and hugged her tightly. He pulled back eventually and slipped the ring on to her left hand. He watched her as she looked her ring over and was pleased to see she liked it so well.

Mallory wrapped her arms around from Charlie's neck. She did not even let them get to their feet before she was kissing him and passionately. He continued the kiss for as long as possible before having to break it to breathe. He stared into her eyes. He did not want to look away.

Replacing the past with a new memory had been a brilliant idea after all. Charlie was able to keep all of the good memories that involved his best friend and remove one that hurt him dearly. He knew that wherever Neil was watching him from that he was happy for him and he had his approval. Charlie had finally found the girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and he was thrilled to share this moment with his best friend at the theater he had cherished so much. Now that the trip was over Charlie could finally put his past to rest and move on to the much brighter future. All he knew was that no matter where he went, Neil would always be with him.


End file.
